Brittney Griner may have thought she would no longer be harassed after she was freed from a Russian prison.
The WNBA and Phoenix Mercury star found out harassment travels. Griner and some of her teammates were harassed while traveling through the Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport on Saturday on their way to a game, according to a report.
Griner encountered a man who yelled about the “Merchant of Death.” The encounter grew heated and escalated to the point where the man was tackled after airport security was summoned. Griner, 32, was released from a Russian prison in December as part of a prisoner exchange that involved Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is nicknamed the “Merchant of Death.” Griner was released from prison after spending 300 days after being arrested on drug charges in February 2022.
The WNBA issued a statement which said in part the incident was “orchestrated by a social media figure and provocateur.”
The “provocateur” was Alex Stein, who shouted questions at Griner while filming the player and her teammates. Stein reportedly asked Griner why she “hates” America, among other questions.
Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, tweeted a statement about the incident. She called for “enhanced security measures for all players.”
WNBA players are not allowed to use charter planes for travel, unlike NBA players. However, the league said in a statement that Griner has been approved to fly charter for WNBA games. The team has not said why she did not fly charter on Saturday.
The Mercury defeated the Indiana Fever 85-82 at Indiana Sunday, with Griner scoring a team-high 29 points.